The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for compacting scrap. More particularly this invention concerns a scrap-compacting press.
In the commonest scrap-compacting system the scrap is placed in a chamber defined between at least two parallel walls one of which may be moved toward the other while remaining parallel thereto. Frequently it is also possible to move at least one of another two parallel walls perpendicular to the first two walls toward its mate in order to compact or compress the scrap in two mutually perpendicular directions. Such a system is employed normally to reduce the bulk of relatively voluminous scrap in order that it may be fed to a chopper or shear which will reduce it to relatively small pieces that can subsequently be treated. When the scrap is mainly ferrous the small pieces produced by the chopper or shear can be used for steelmaking.
Much of the scrap that must be compacted is of generally regular shape and provided with crosspieces or the like which make it extremely difficult to crush the scrap. Thus, for instance tops and bottoms of boilers and crossmembers in automotive vehicles require a great deal of pressure for crushing such pieces of scrap in a direction parallel to these members. Thus it is necessary to provide extremely heavy rams and crushing members in order to compact such scrap. This overdimensioning greatly increases the cost of the compactor so as to reduce the profitability of reducing scrap for reuse.